Red Bull BassLine: Spain's Merida Celebrates Too Early But Wins Anyway
Daniel Merida wins the Red Bull BassLine in Vienna. The Spaniard turns the final around but almost celebrates too early. Jurij Rodionov narrowly misses out on the final.
Spain's Daniel Merida is the winner of Red Bull BassLine 2026. In his first appearance in the show format, the 22-year-old prevailed in the final against Czech Jakub Mensik with scores of 1:5, 5:3, 5:2, 5:4.
As usual, play proceeded without a referee, featuring short tie-break sets to five points, along with music and commentary during the matches.
Rodionov Beats the Eventual Winner
To kick things off, the audience decided on the group assignments. In the red group, Grigor Dimitrov, Matteo Berrettini, and Jakub Mensik faced each other, while in the blue group, Jurij Rodionov, Learner Tien, and Daniel Merida competed.
In both groups, every player secured one win and suffered one loss. Thus, the point difference decided the outcome. In the red group, Mensik came out on top.
Austria's Davis Cup hero Rodionov started with a win against Merida but then lost to Learner Tien. The point difference ultimately favored the Spaniard. Despite this, Rodionov bid farewell with loud support from the stands.
Thiem's Idea Is Used in Every Match
New this year was "Domi's Double," a rule based on an idea by Dominic Thiem. Players could activate it once per match, and the subsequent rally then counted double. Every player utilized the option, and several close matches were decided within seconds as a result.
Unusual Celebration in the Final
Mensik clearly won the first set with a score of 5:1. Merida turned the match around with 5:3 and 5:2. Afterwards, the two youngsters already celebrated the end of the match. They had overlooked that the final is played to three won sets. Merida followed up and sealed the tournament victory with a 5:4 score in the fourth set.
"Normally we never play with such rules, and it was a lot of fun," Merida said after his victory. "It was an honor for me to share the court with these players."
Merida joins a prominent list of winners: Carlos Alcaraz (2021), Karen Khachanov (2022), Alexander Zverev (2023, 2024), and Tallon Griekspoor (2025).
